Greg Abbott implies that the Valley is a “Third World” country. He cited instances, including a bribery case involving drug dealers, while referring to creeping corruption that “resembles Third World-country practices that erode the social fabric of our communities and destroys Texans' trust and confidence in government.”

Isn't Attorney General Greg Abbott the ultimate source of law enforcement in Texas? If so, it sounds like to me he is failing in his job.

Re: “Clash on contraception is part of a larger battle,” Jacob Lupfer, Religion, Feb. 8:

I disagree with the criticism of evangelical ministers who oppose the contraceptive mandate and his accusation that those reconsidering their moral stance on this want to oppress women.

Maybe the ministers see the need for people of faith to stand together to protect religious liberty.

Maybe they see the truth of warnings by Pope Paul VI in his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae about societal acceptance of contraception: moral decay, the objectification of women, abuse of power by public authorities who fail to heed moral principles, and belief in unlimited dominion of people over their bodies — even to the degree that they may take the life of a child in the womb.

Maybe they share the Catholic Church's sacramental view of marriage, which calls couples to imagine Christ through the total gift of self in a way that gives life to the world.

Maybe they have learned of morally sound, highly effective ways for couples to plan the size of their families. Methods utilizing natural reproductive technology are taught by the Catholic Church to help couples enhance chances of conception or avoid it if needed for serious reason, and to honor the dignity of the couple and the potential life they create. If evangelicals join with the Catholic Church on this issue, I commend them.